On Saturday July 26, I officiated a very unique wedding: it was actually a surprise to the bride!

David (the groom) and the bride's younger sister Cindy hatched a great plan: to give Nancy (the unsuspecting bride) a surprise 30th birthday party, and at the same time, have a minister present (me) ready to marry them on the spot!

A little background: Nancy & David have been engaged for several years, but had put off the marriage planning. Nancy actually had wished all the planning could be magically taken care of, and was eager to marry. So this plan was set to be the perfect remedy.

All the guests were in on the surprise. When David brought his blindfolded bride-to-be into the backyard and everyone yelled "Surprise!", she was thrilled at this surprise birthday bash in her honor, but found herself a bit curious about the decorated archway in the front of the backyard. David then used the DJ's microphone to tell his fiance that they were about to be married, and she was ELATED! There were tears of joy.

The bride's sister had picked out a beautiful wedding dress for the bride that fit perfectly, and 15 minutes later we began this beautiful ceremony. Nancy & David poured sands into a vase together with their 2 daughters, signifying the blending together of their 4 lives into a marriage and family. They said their vows, we had some meaningful readings, exchanged rings, and there was not a dry eye in the yard. Truly a one-of-a-kind ceremony for two lovely people!

Gotta love it when the management at a golf course/country club forgets to turn off the outdoor sprinkler timer before a wedding! This actually happened at Susan & Noah's nuptials on July 19, at a country club in South Jersey which shall remain nameless... We were all set to begin the ceremony, the 50 or so guests were all seated in white folding chairs on the lawn in front of the classic gazebo; the sun was shining radiantly on the beautiful setting; the groom Noah was waiting eagerly, and the first bridesmaid was processing down the aisle when all of a sudden... the automatic sprinklers in the lawn BENEATH & AROUND THE GUESTS' SEATS went off at full-tilt, soaking everyone!! The bridesmaid was the first casualty, then the guests suddenly realized that water was spraying them at full velocity from beneath their seats...! As the videographers ran for cover shielding their expensive cameras, the DJ frantically ran to protect his equipment by grabbing one metal sprinkler spigot in the ground and re-aiming it, only to hit a female guest square in the back of her dress! Yes it was high comedy, folks, and that was the only way to see it after the initial shock. Besides, it was pretty much the hottest day all summer, easily in the mid-90s, and let's face it, I wished the water had hit me too (I was protected in the gazebo).
After everyone shared a laugh, the seats were dried off, we started over from the top, and after a little joke about the groom Noah's wedding "flood" we proceeded to have a really beautiful and heartfelt ceremony.

On June 21 I officiated Amanda and Jack's wedding on the roof of the Metro Hotel in downtown Manhattan. (It was a hot day, let me tell ya!)

Amanda is from Ireland  :)

Jack actually proposed to her at the top of Croagh Patrick, Ireland's sacred mountain and a pilgrimage place for Catholics & for all who are inspired by Ireland's pre-Christian traditions (SEE PHOTO BELOW). I recently saw an episode of the TV show "Catholic Ireland" which was about making the journey to the mountain's summit; and believe it or not, the very next day I met Amanda & Jack for the first time and they told me their connection with Croagh Patrick. An interesting bit of serendipity...



THE MOUNTAIN OF CROAGH PATRICK, IRELAND

The ceremony we did was mostly traditional, including rings & prayers. They wrote their own heartfelt vows. Amanda told Jack that he was truly her "Anam Cara" (Irish for soulmate). We also honored Amanda & Jack's lovely children. But the most special & unique part of this wedding to me was the ancient Irish/Celtic tradition of "Hand-fasting". This is the original way that Irish weddings were conducted, hundreds and perhaps thousands of year ago: Amanda & Jack held each other arm in arm, while I draped a beautiful sash with a Celtic weave design on it (handmade by Amanda!!) over their hands, tying it loosely. Then we blessed their hands.



I assure you, this ceremony is unforgettable and whether you're Irish or not, it has a lot of meaning and beauty. Other cultures have similar traditions: I've officiated several Filipino weddings where a cord and veil are tied around the couple. What better symbolism for a wedding ceremony, than to tie the two people together?
(Amanda & Jack's hands remained tied together only for a few minutes, and the sash was removed after they kissed, but we carefully preserved the knot as a keepsake - the ancient tradition is that as long as the knot remains tied, their marriage will stay together...)

The Flanders Valley Inn in Flanders, NJ, is set in an idyllic rural valley in Morris County.  Driving into this area for Lisa & Peter's wedding this weekend, the sun shining down made me feel like I was driving into the valley of Eden. With a setting so picturesque, it's no wonder the Flanders Valley Inn is still a top wedding location even in this recession time.

The weddings here are always at the outdoor gazebo. Bob, the owner, is very friendly & easygoing. 

Lisa & Peter make a great couple. They were both very excited as they exchanged their vows. They had 2 readings; their friend Matt read the "faith, hope, love" reading from Corinthians, & their friend Ben read the Apache Marriage Blessing, which is very popular and beautiful and yet simple. Ben grew up in Bar Harbor, Maine (below) next to Acadia National Park(!). This was a favorite camping destination of my family when I was a kid. I asked him what it was like growing up in that idyllic location, & he agreed that, yes, he was definitely extremely lucky & spoiled! Only in high school did he start to realize that not every kid grows up in Eden.


Above: ACADIA NATIONAL PARK, Bar Harbor, Maine

I just have to write something about the last leg of a spiritual road trip I took last week:
                                (Earlier blog entries about it follow below)

1) If you've never seen the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, you're missin' out!
This is the Gateway to the West, wrapped in all the mythos of frontier America.




2) Afterwards, my girlfriend & I crossed the Mississippi River to visit the nearby Cahokia Indian Mounds (below) in Illinois. These are huge 1000-year-old manmade mounds reminiscent of Mayan pyramids, made by the Cahokia "mound builder" people (Native Americans).


Atop the so-called "Monk's Mound" (above) was where the Cahokia people held their spiritual ceremonies. As we reached the summit, it was beautiful and certainly felt like sacred ground to me. I was reminded of the Bible verse: "Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy."

Today I officiated Chrissi & Jeff's beautiful wedding at the Best Western Inn at Hunt's Landing in Matamoras, Pennsylvania.

Weather forced the ceremony to be moved indoors, but no problem: the indoor ceremony room is quite elegant and I've officiated many fabulous weddings in there. Anyway, our bride & groom were definitely feelin' the vibe from the get-go, but the magical energy really cranked up a notch when Chrissi's niece Mallory sang a sweet, pure & extremely heartfelt rendition of a pop ballad called "I Turn To You". Suddenly the emotion in the room was so palpable. Mallory's innocent and sincere voice touched every heart in the room. You can almost always feel the magic at a wedding ceremony, but some ceremonies just take your breath away... this was surely one.

Other nice touches to the ceremony included a Unity Candle lighting, a Hands Blessing, and the couple recited unique vows in unison. Not to mention the recessional hymn: the Ramones' rockin' version of "What a Wonderful World". This was one to remember!

I traveled down to Parrottville, Tennessee to officiate my good friend Paul DeCirce's wedding to his sweetheart Erica on June 7, 2008. The wedding was on the front lawn at the beautiful Moonshine Meadow cabin at Meadow Creek Resort in the Smoky Mountains.

It was a beautiful intimate ceremony with some Cherokee spirituality woven in, to honor the Cherokee people who originally inhabited that area. We began by honoring the Four Directions, a unique and extremely profound way to begin a wedding ceremony. It really helps you to get your bearings in this big world and even bigger universe. We also included a beautiful Cherokee Wedding Blessing, and we blessed the rings with sage, juniper and sweetgrass, 3 herbs which are sacred to native peoples (and they smell great). The weather was sunny, hot, and gorgeous.  I wish Paul & Erica a lifetime of holy happiness.

In Memphis, Tennessee on a mini-vacation, my girlfriend & I have stumbled upon the Lorraine Motel, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 (40 years & 2 months ago). It has been completely preserved! Like stepping back in time, it looks exactly like it did then, with a huge wreath hanging on the very spot where Dr. King fell on the balcony. The amazing thing is, the hotel interior has been very appropriately converted into the National Civil Rights Museum. This museum traces the whole history of the struggle, in a very moving way, culminating in a path through Room 306 where King last slept. His room is exactly as it was when he last left it, dirty dishes, cigarrette butts & all! While Mahalia Jackson sings "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" over the speakers... this is a tremendously moving shrine. After standing at Elvis' grave yesterday, and Dr. King's today, this is turning into a real spiritual pilgrimage. (I don't place Elvis & Dr. King in the same category, but each surely deserves tons of respect.)

I made a pilgrimage this week to Memphis, Tennessee on a spontaneous road trip.
First stop was Graceland, on Elvis Presley Boulevard. I was never a huge Elvis fan, but recently I've been performing a lot of his tunes for seniors at nursing homes, and they really love him. So here I am, payin' my respects.

By today's standards, his mansion is pretty modest. And believe me, from cell phone to internet to DVD and Directv, you are way richer than Elvis was!
His career retrospective was truly amazing, though. In its highest, purest form, what's more spiritual than rock & roll? I find it moving and rejuvenating.

Graceland's motto on billboards throughout Memphis is "Graceland: Where Elvis Lives."
Eerily enough, I am getting the feeling his spirit is still lingering around in there.
At night the estate is all lit up with colored lights; the only thing I can compare it to is standing outside of the White House at night, knowing someone real important is in there right now. And you feel the same way here. It feels like he didn't die, like someone is still definitely home! Has Elvis really left the building?    :)

I recently married Candice and Raymond in a bank in Easton, Pennsylvania!
But not a Commerce Bank or PNC Bank (though that would be interesting)...
actually this is a historic bank called the Bank Street Annex.
I believe it dates from the turn of the century, I guess they really took banking seriously back in the day because this place is a work of art!
The acoustics are like a cathedral, so my voice carried very well without a mic or any yelling :)
And there are huge historic coins decorating the walls.
Candice wrote a lot of unique things for me to incorporate into the ceremony... it was unique and very memorable.

On June 1, I officiated Bonnie and Scott's wedding at Fratelli's Ristorante On The Lake, Sparta, NJ.  It was my first wedding there. The couple had originally been booked at Zoe's in Sparta but I think that place went out of business or something.
Fratelli's is on a pretty lake with a few small islands in the water.
Reminded me of that Dolly Parton/Kenny Rogers song "Islands In The Stream"
So I quoted the lyrics that I could remember, in the ceremony. They are appropriate in any wedding: "Islands in the stream, that is what we are... sail away with me, to another world, and we'll rely on each other."
It was a really memorable ceremony, everyone loved it!

On May 30 I officiated Melissa and Hiram's wedding at the Pleasantdale Chateau.
That place is utterly beautiful! It reminds me of a castle inside and out.
This was my first outdoor wedding there, an it was by a pond with a quaint bridge.
Really great landscaping there. My previous weddings there were in the grand ballroom, which is also stunning. Hiram and Melissa's families were from Ecuador and Puerto Rico, so each table at the reception was decorated with a photo of a certain landmark from those places. The weather was nice and the staff was very helpful. It really is like stepping back in time.